Changes are coming to North Carolina’s Medicaid Waiver program, commonly referred to as the Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities or CAP MR/DD. In July, the NC Division of Medical Assistance (DMA- which oversees Medicaid in NC) and the Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse (MH/DD/SAS) announced new policies for CAP MR/DD waiver…
Early Voting Ends Saturday, October 30
As they say in Chicago, vote early and often! Seriously, everyone should be encouraged to exercise their right and responsibility to vote in all elections. I recently took my oldest son to vote in his second election; we studied the issues and the candidates together, then looked up our early polling station online. …
A Shocking Story, A Shocking School
Imagine being being strapped facedown on a four-point restraint board and being shocked repeatedly by an unseen person for swearing…and you’re a child. This is about a book that the Autism Society of NC (ASNC) will never stock or sell. Why talk about it, then? Sometimes we have to address the ugly elephant in the…
New Resource on Sexuality and Youth/Adults with Disabilities
Want to make people uncomfortable? Ask them about their sex education of their child with a disability (regardless of whether their “child” is 4 or 42 years old)! What have you done to educate your child with autism about sex and sexuality? If you need some help getting started, here are some resources. A new…
Important Information for Students on the Occupational Course of Study in High School
Freda Lee, Consultant for the Mental/Intellectual Disabilities Program for the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI), recently presented information to the Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children; her topic was the Occupational Course of Study (OCS), one of only two diploma-tracks for high school students in NC. Because NC’s OCS did not meet federal…
Discontinuing microwaves in classrooms
Did you know that some schools are prohibiting the use of microwaves by students? According to the Dept. of Agriculture, which governs the Child Nutrition Programs (providers of school meals), food preparation and reheating should ONLY occur in inspected food prep areas. That means no microwaves in classrooms, cafeterias, or anywhere that students can use…
Good news in the special education legal arena
A federal appeals court recently ruled that a lawsuit alleging that Hawaii schools “deliberately neglected the needs of two girls with autism during their formative years” could go forward. The parents are seeking damages under the federal Rehabilitation Act due to “lost opportunity”—that the Hawaii Department of Education failed to provide appropriate special education when…
CAP-MR/DD Stakeholder Survey
During the month of September, you are invited to participate in a survey about the CAP-MR/DD Medicaid waivers (Comprehensive Waiver and Supports Waiver). Your feedback is very important to us as we continue to improve the waivers. We want to hear from individuals receiving CAP-MR/DD services, parents and guardians of individuals receiving services, service providers,…